


Settle For Less

by Latisteele



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Diary/Journal, Modern Boy in Thedas, Multi, Now with Demon Howie Mandel!, Will add tags as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:49:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21857116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latisteele/pseuds/Latisteele
Summary: Dax is just a poor guy who ends up in Thedas, your standard MBIT*Updated chapter one 12/26/19
Relationships: Original male character/TBA
Kudos: 14





	1. Late last night, or was it morning?

**Day 1**

I’m not sure how I ended up there, laying on my back and staring at the weirdly hazy green sky. I must have laid there for hours, or days even! 

Time felt so weird, like it wasn’t right! I tried to focus as I laid there, trying to remember what happened, and why was I in some weird shithole with floating rocks.

The air made my head feel like it was swimming, I did NOT like that fucking place.

While laying there, some memories of what happened started coming back to me. I was a bit afraid to get up, so I decided there was no harm in the dirt for now.

I thought back to where I was last, in my friend Angie’s lab, she’s a nut for sure, I really never know what the hell she’s doing, but we’ve been friends since high school and I try to stay caught up with her.

Science is her thing, not mine, so I couldn’t tell you my dearest diary what the fuck half those machines did, and Angie did try and explain, and bless her heart that she did, but I’m a very stupid man.

So stupid it seems that while returning to her garage-lab to grab my yellow backpack I forgot in there, I tripped over a few things, fell, caught back up and tripped some more, till I landed on something sharp.

That’s it, nothing else after that. I sat up next to check myself for injuries, other than a sore ankle, from where I remember tripping, I was fine.

**Day 1, Later, I think**

I wandered further and further into this weird place. Fucking shit’s floating and physics aren't physicing but that's ok I guess who needs that shit to work? Not me?! That’s a lie, I really really didn’t like that place. I found my backpack earlier near me.

I’ll take inventory down here, been having a weird time trying to remember or think even here. Maybe I have a concussion?

In all I have

\- My fabulously yellow backpack, It’s seen better days and has some weird goo on the bottom  
\- A cell phone, But it won't seem to turn on, but it was fully charged I thought? Useless shitbrick  
\- Headphones, Basically expensive useless rope right now  
\- Pocket knife, Hey now that’s useful!  
\- Pack of gum! Nice! Minty fresh!  
\- My journal! That’s what I’m writing in now!  
\- 3 shitty, all red, pens, only two work  
\- My keys  
\- A bottle of Ibuprofen with about 13 left, Oh that's a bad sign

And that’s all! I intend to keep writing, I feel like this place is going to make me insane, and I have no way of knowing how time passes here, it's weird, I hate this, have I said I hate it yet?

_[Below is a drawing of me sad, trying to climb a floating rock, because apparently, they can float but not me, bastards.]_

**Day 1, Later-er, I think, I can’t tell**

Everything is so green, what an awful color. Why couldn't it be red? I suppose that’d be too scary, blue might be nice then though, this color just makes me feel like I’m in some post-nuclear haze, though realistically that’s probably not what it looks like right?

I’m getting a bit desperate, I keep seeing things, in the distant, but every time I call out, basically crying, they disappear? Is this hell and am I being ghosted? Very rude!

**Day 1, or 2**

I think I slept, but I also could have just sat there and existed without thinking about anything at all for a while. This place is no good, it’s bad bad bad. I forgot how I got here again, I need to find a way out bad.

**Day something, how can I tell time here? 2?**

It happened again, I lost more time. I’m starting to get scared now, the more that I think about it, I haven’t eaten in a while either. 

I made contact with someone finally though! They won't tell me their name, and look so weird, like a road in the hot desert sun. Now I’m focused on home, and getting back.

I forgot I had a home, that’s probably not good. My friend though! We started talking, and I asked them where in the fuck I am. Apparently, this is the Fade? It seemed like a capital F kind of name. I will say I am not a fan of this Fade at all. 

We talked more, about this place, what it is. Every question I ask just leads me to have ten more, like a fucked up question-hydra. My journaling was a good idea.

I keep having to reread things to remember, I keep forgetting so much, I think it will stay that way the longer I’m here. I’m writing down what I can remember in case I forget.

My name is Dax Hughes, I’m 23, an American and my favorite things are dirty jokes and pomegranates. I think I forgot what pomegranates are, but I like them!

I need to get out, my head is always swimming, almost struggling to stay afloat, all of this is too much and I feel as if I’m working extra hard to keep up with it all. It’s almost like this place is trying to drive me crazy.

**Time is meaningless and I am God**

“I just want a nice, easy life you know? Maybe just on earth? Around regular people? No offense to you of course.” I told my spirit friend, “You’re just not regular people, do you even poop? Everybody poops.”

“Perhaps there is a way to return to your Earth, I do not know how you might, however.”

“You didn’t answer the question? What about pee? Do you pee?”

They left then, I’m sure to avoid more of my pestering over their bodily functions. But that raises a good question, right? Makes me wonder how long has it been since I’ve gone

Maybe that's one of the effects of this shithole, the more I think of it, I haven’t felt hungry or thirsty either. That’s definitely weird and probably not a good sign, as I feel like time has passed but I can’t really tell you how much.

_[ Below is a drawing, it looks as if I drew a smoke cloud, but I assure you in person it’s my friend]_


	2. Outside the rain was pouring

**Let’s call it day 2**

I’ve written it before, I think, but I fucking hate this place. I began to call my oh nameless spirit friend Smokey, as they wouldn't give me anything else to call them. We’ve been talking more, but it seems neither of us has much of a clue on how I can get out of here. Spirits though, that’s all weird right? Ghosts and stuff, I’m not a fan but Smokey seems alright. Did Angie’s shit ghost-zone me? Apparently, spirits are a lot less like how I thought them to be, here they have different forms, but apparently, something about me freaks them out, so only weirdos like Smokey will bother to come around me.

**Some time later of day 2**

“What do you mean I’m the only human you’ve ever seen physically here? You said people on the other side come here when they dream right?”  
“That is true, but they do not arrive physically as you have Dax.”  
“If they don’t come here as I did… I’m not getting out any way easy am I?”

**Even later of day 2**

I lost more time, but I have been thinking more about that part of my conversation with my friend, it seemed important, jarring, so I wrote it down in case I need to read it again. Shortly after that conversation, I met another though, who seems to be one of the ‘demons’ I was warned about. They say they know a way out, but I’m not sure I’m buying it. Luckily I have the same weird dampening effect on them too. Maybe that’s a clue? On how I can get out? I’ll ask smokey about it, I need to remember too. I’m forgetting more and more about home and who I am.

**Day 3**

I found myself, once again staring blankly at some rocks, just standing dead to the world, I wasn’t sure how long I was like that, but I think it was awhile? Oh! I need to ask about that! ‘Cause the fade is a thingy right? And If I make the people in here kinda weak, maybe I can weaken a hole in it, I can go to where the normal people are. Well, I say normal but apparently, there's like, dwarves and elves and stuff! Like fantasy stuff! I was also told about something like a Qunari, but I honestly dunno what in the fuck that could be.

**Still day 3**

That guy, from before, who keeps trying to get me to go along with their shit is back. Of course, I decide I have nothing to lose and tell them about Smokey’s new idea to help me get out of here, which is basically just finding a place where the whatchamacallit is weak and just hoping something would happen. The weirdo, who I’ve taken to calling Howie for how they constantly keep asking me to make a deal, agreed there are honestly worse ideas. So off we went hand in hand, me and demonic Howie Mandel, to find some Weak Spot.

**At the Weak Spot Day 3**

Howie said the veil is ultra-thin here, which whatever weird dampening thing I have going on, is likely to weaken it further, which is what we want. I say we because, Howie _really_ wants to get out, and while I’m not too sure why, is it my place to tell this mother fucker what to do? Plus it seems as if they have some anger issues to begin with, but I get that, I would too if I was stuck in this shithole as long as Howie has been.

_[Below is a drawing of Howie, but he too looks like a cloud of smoke, but the words Deal or No Deal are written over his head, and No Deal is underlined]_

**Day 5**

Well, I haven’t written in a while, but I should fill in on what happened with Howie and me. We waited there a hot minute, and eventually, something started to happen! Apparently, a group of what I have learned were blood mages were up to, uh, blood magic stuff? And pulled Howie through in that weak spot, but I came through too?  
When I came through though, I felt horrible, and Howie was Different and did not look how I knew them to be in the fade, so I ran, and luckily dodged the blood mages too on my way out. 

This place is better than the fade, but very much a shithole. I ran until I couldn’t anymore, which didn’t take long. I found myself a cozy corner that I made sure nobody could see nor find me in and promptly fell asleep for the first time in I’m not too sure how long.

When I woke up though, it was time to figure out, what the fuck am I gonna do now? I also took notice of how my black jeans, boots and sweater were, well, pretty weird for what everyone else was wearing here, in the city that is called Kirkwall apparently. My boots were also covered in the same weird goo I found on my bag back in the fade.

I decided to try and calm down, act like a person and be glad I’m out of there. Shit’s not Earth but I’ll take it given that there are people that act like people here. I gathered my few things and ventured out into what is called Darktown. Which is probably the shittiest shithole in this here shithole city. I kept my small pocket knife in the pocket of my pants and kept my hand on it at all times down here. It was raining out, but you could only really tell down here depending on where you were looking. 

**Day 5**

On my second full day out of the fade, I decided it was high time I try and find work, and hopefully keep my head down, and hope no one pointed out my southern accent which, I certainly haven’t heard anyone else have around here. I quickly learned after asking around, that it’s a bad time to be foreign and trying to find work in this city, with apparent boatloads of refugees coming in from someplace to the south called Ferelden, as they’re having a blight, whatever that is.

After several dead ends, and me honestly looking and trying, I was told to make contact with an elven woman by the name of Athenril, and contact I did!

After questioning me a little, she offered to give me a chance and offered me a job. Just for now assisting a group of two humans and one elf, bring some goods down to the docks at night. I knew better than to ask too many questions when it was the first chance of getting some cash.   
After all, I might be still having weird side effects from the fade, like not being hungry yet, but I didn’t think that’d last. God have I been thirsty though since I left. I ‘liberated’ a canteen from a market stall and have been constantly on the hunt for more and cleaner water.

The job went well though, and earned about 20 silver? I’m not sure what that’s worth. But she asked me to come back tomorrow for some more work, which I’m eager to do. I should also keep an eye out for a dagger or something. Not that I want to use it, but the way things are going, I don't think my tiny pocket knife is going to need it.

_[ Below is another drawing, of me but this time with a big, big knife! Not a wimpy knife!]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left kudos and has decided to read this!

**Author's Note:**

> If you see any awful typos, please tell me!
> 
> *chapter one updated 12/26/19


End file.
